SerpApi for Hermes Agent

Give Hermes Agent fresh web, local, news, shopping, hotel, flight, and destination results with SerpApi.

The plugin adds SerpApi to Hermes in two ways:

• Hermes's built-in web_search uses the fast Google Light engine.
• Dedicated Maps, News, Shopping, Hotels, Flights, and Travel Explore tools let Hermes choose the right SerpApi engine for each request.
• Direct SerpApi tools return token-efficient Markdown by default, including tables, links, and YAML frontmatter designed for agents.

Ask Hermes to install it

You can let Hermes install and configure the plugin for you. Paste the message below into a Hermes chat, then approve the install or terminal commands if Hermes prompts you:

Install and configure the SerpApi plugin from its official GitHub repository:

hermes plugins install serpapi/serpapi-hermes-plugin --enable

Request my approval for install or terminal commands whenever required; do not
bypass approvals. Follow Hermes's prompts to install Python dependencies and
enable the plugin named serpapi.

If Hermes asks whether to allow this plugin to replace built-in tools, answer
no; serpapi-hermes-plugin does not need tool-override access.

Use my existing SERPAPI_API_KEY if configured. Otherwise, ask me for my SerpApi
Private API Key when installation or setup requests it. I can copy it from
https://serpapi.com/dashboard. Save it through Hermes's configuration in
~/.hermes/.env without printing, logging, or committing it.

Configure SerpApi as the Hermes web search backend, tell me whether Hermes must
be restarted, and verify that web search, Maps, News, Shopping, Hotels, Flights,
and Travel Explore tools are available. Use this key for future SerpApi
searches and never expose it in output.

Install

You need a working Hermes Agent installation and a SerpApi account. Choose one installation method below. Both register the plugin as serpapi and provide the same search tools.

From GitHub (recommended)

Use Hermes's plugin installer:

hermes plugins install serpapi/serpapi-hermes-plugin --enable

Follow the prompts for Python dependencies, enablement, and your SerpApi API key. Use a current Hermes version with plugin dependency management; older installers may clone the plugin without installing its dependencies.

To update a Git installation later:

hermes plugins update serpapi

From PyPI

For Hermes installations whose Python environment you manage yourself, install the published package into the interpreter that runs Hermes:

uv pip install --python /path/to/hermes/python serpapi-hermes-plugin
hermes plugins enable serpapi

If your Hermes installation uses ~/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv, the install command is:

uv pip install --python ~/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv/bin/python serpapi-hermes-plugin

The explicit --python selects Hermes's environment without activating it. If that environment already has pip and is activated, python -m pip install serpapi-hermes-plugin is equivalent. Use the GitHub option for current Hermes-managed installations, as described in Hermes's pip distribution guidance.

Restart any running Hermes session after installation.

Get your SerpApi API key

1. Create a SerpApi account, or sign in to your existing account.
2. Open the SerpApi dashboard.
3. Find your Private API Key in the dashboard and copy it.

One API key powers every engine in this plugin. Keep it private and never add it to source control.

Connect the API key to Hermes

If the plugin is not enabled yet, enable it:

hermes plugins enable serpapi

If prompted about permission to replace built-in tools, answer no. This plugin adds new tools and a web-search provider; it does not replace built-in tool handlers.

Open Hermes's interactive tool configuration:

hermes tools

In the Web Search & Extract section:

1. Select SerpApi.
2. Paste the Private API Key copied from your SerpApi dashboard.
3. Confirm the selection.

Hermes saves the key as SERPAPI_API_KEY in its environment configuration and selects SerpApi for future web_search calls. Restart Hermes if a session was already running.

Manual API-key setup

Instead of using hermes tools, add the key to ~/.hermes/.env:

SERPAPI_API_KEY=your_private_api_key

Then configure ~/.hermes/config.yaml:

plugins:
  enabled:
    - serpapi

web:
  search_backend: serpapi

You may also export SERPAPI_API_KEY in the environment that starts Hermes. The environment variable takes precedence over the value in ~/.hermes/.env.

Search capabilities

Hermes's built-in web_search contract requires structured web records, so the plugin requests JSON for that provider and converts it to Hermes's standard response. The six directly registered SerpApi tools request output=md by default and return SerpApi's Markdown without reparsing it. This preserves result tables and links while using fewer tokens than full JSON.

Each direct tool also accepts output: "json" when the agent needs structured fields such as a Google Flights departure_token. Markdown remains the schema default.

What you ask for	Hermes tool	SerpApi engine
General web research	web_search	google_light
Places and local businesses	serpapi_maps_search	google_maps
Current and recent news	serpapi_news_search	google_news_light
Products, prices, and merchants	serpapi_shopping_search	google_shopping_light
Hotels and vacation rentals	serpapi_hotels_search	google_hotels
Fixed-route flight fares	serpapi_flights_search	google_flights
Flexible destinations and dates	serpapi_travel_explore_search	google_travel_explore

Hermes chooses a tool from your request. Each tool selects and validates its own SerpApi engine, so you do not need to specify an engine name. Flight and Travel Explore location fields accept individual uppercase airport codes such as LHR, CDG, or AUS, as well as /m/ or /g/ location KGMIDs. Use Travel Explore when the traveler has a city or region in mind but no exact airport.

Example prompts:

• "Search the web for the latest Python 3.14 release notes."
• "Find highly rated coffee shops near Times Square."
• "Show me recent news about reusable rockets."
• "Find well-reviewed laptops under $1,200 with free shipping."
• "Find four-star hotels in Kyoto for October 10 to October 15."
• "Compare nonstop business-class flights from JFK to LAX next month."
• "Where can I go from Bengaluru for a one-week beach trip in December?"

Google Flights returns outbound choices first for round trips. To inspect return-flight choices, call serpapi_flights_search with output: "json", select a departure_token, then call the tool again with that token and the same route and dates.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup, tests, pull request guidelines, and the release process.

License

MIT